The simplest way to benefit from a rising market is to buy an index fund. When you buy individual stocks, you can make higher profits, but you also face the risk of under-performance. That downside risk was realized by Alithya Group Inc. (TSE:ALYA) shareholders over the last year, as the share price declined 23%. That's well below the market return of 7.5%. We wouldn't rush to judgement on Alithya Group because we don't have a long term history to look at. The falls have accelerated recently, with the share price down 20% in the last three months.
Check out our latest analysis for Alithya Group
Given that Alithya Group didn't make a profit in the last twelve months, we'll focus on revenue growth to form a quick view of its business development. Shareholders of unprofitable companies usually expect strong revenue growth. As you can imagine, fast revenue growth, when maintained, often leads to fast profit growth.
In the last twelve months, Alithya Group increased its revenue by 3.0%. While that may seem decent it isn't great considering the company is still making a loss. Given this lacklustre revenue growth, the share price drop of 23% seems pretty appropriate. It's important not to lose sight of the fact that profitless companies must grow. So remember, if you buy a profitless company then you risk being a profitless investor.
You can see below how earnings and revenue have changed over time (discover the exact values by clicking on the image).
We like that insiders have been buying shares in the last twelve months. Having said that, most people consider earnings and revenue growth trends to be a more meaningful guide to the business. You can see what analysts are predicting for Alithya Group in this interactive graph of future profit estimates.
A Different Perspective
Given that the market gained 7.5% in the last year, Alithya Group shareholders might be miffed that they lost 23%. However, keep in mind that even the best stocks will sometimes underperform the market over a twelve month period. The share price decline has continued throughout the most recent three months, down 20%, suggesting an absence of enthusiasm from investors. Basically, most investors should be wary of buying into a poor-performing stock, unless the business itself has clearly improved. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand Alithya Group better, we need to consider many other factors. For instance, we've identified 3 warning signs for Alithya Group (1 is a bit concerning) that you should be aware of.